Elanie van Zyl Counselling is a professional counselling practice based in Brackenfell, in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs, offering compassionate support to children, adolescents and adults as they navigate life’s challenges. Elanie van Zyl is a registered Counsellor with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and a qualified Post-Partum Doula, bringing a caring, holistic approach to emotional wellbeing and family support.
The practice is rooted in a deep passion for helping people understand and work through trauma and attachment wounds. Our earliest relationships and experiences can influence how we see ourselves, connect with others and, later in life, approach parenting. By creating a safe and confidential space, Elanie supports clients in exploring these experiences, developing greater emotional insight and finding healthier ways of responding to life’s challenges.
Individual counselling provides an opportunity to pause, reflect and make sense of what you are experiencing without judgement. Clients from age six through to adulthood are supported according to their individual needs, with an emphasis on emotional awareness, resilience, practical coping tools and personal growth.
For younger children, play-based support provides an age-appropriate way to explore emotions and experiences. Play can give children a natural language through which they can express feelings, process difficult experiences and develop emotional and interpersonal skills in a supportive environment.
As a qualified Post-Partum Doula, Elanie also provides specialised support during the transition into parenthood. This can be an emotionally demanding period, and compassionate guidance can help new parents navigate the changes, challenges and adjustment that accompany pregnancy, birth and the post-partum journey.
Elanie van Zyl Counselling & Support Services
- Individual Counselling – Confidential, supportive counselling for children, adolescents and adults.
- Play-Based Support – Age-appropriate emotional support for children through therapeutic play.
- Trauma & Attachment Support – Exploring the impact of difficult experiences and early relational patterns.
- Supervision – Professional support and reflective supervision for practitioners.
- School Readiness Assessments – Supporting families in understanding a child’s readiness for the transition to school.
- Post-Partum Support – Compassionate practical and emotional support for mothers and families during the post-partum period.
- Employee Wellness Support – Counselling and wellbeing support within workplace environments.
- CPD Workshops – Continuing Professional Development workshops designed to support professional learning and growth.
A compassionate space to pause, reflect and move forward – for children struggling to express difficult emotions, adults working through the effects of past experiences, and new parents needing additional support. The focus is not simply on getting through a difficult season, but on developing a deeper understanding of yourself, strengthening emotional resilience and building healthier ways of relating to yourself and those around you.
Understanding Your Story. Supporting Your Healing. Strengthening Your Future.